hope to get some insight from yall. I upgraded my pulley to a 15% pulley from the stock pulley last August. I had the clutch replaced at the same time with an OEM clutch. Now my clutch is shot. Hard to get into first gear during traffic and red lights. My mechanic said the clutch needs to be upgraded to a high performance clutch due to the extra HP and torque from the pulley. Is this true? was the OEM clutch not strong enough to withstand the pulley and SC spinning faster? If so, can anyone recommend a new clutch brand that will withstand the pulley and last for several years? Thanks to all.

 

if you just did a pulley, then the oem clutch works. you could have gotten a bad one i guess but i have a upgraded pulley and my stock clutch works good

 

That sounds more like the clutch master cylinder is not adjusted properly. It is not disengaging the clutch so it is hard to shift into gear while stopped. A bad clutch normally results in slippage while in gear

 

Oh ok. I'm sorry for my ignorace, but what does "slipping" mean?

 

When a clutch is literally worn out, the friction material has been worn off the clutch plate, which leaves metal or rivets from the clutch plate to contact the flywheel. As metal does not grip metal very well, the clutch will spin on the surface of the flywheel instead of gripping it - that is what 'slipping' means, in essence.
I've had a 15% pulley on for years, and the OEM clutch is just fine. You might want to talk with a different mechanic.

 

A quick check can be done by parking on a level flat area, release the hand brake, put it in 1st or reverse, depress the clutch and start the car. The car should not creep or move at all when starting. If it does creep or move then the clutch is partially engage. Slowly let out the clutch it should start engaging about half way up. If it starts engaging right off the floor take it back to your machanic and have him adjust the clutch and/or bleed the clutch master cylinder. This is all assuming that he installed everything right in the first place.

 

You may need a new clutch but the pulley was not the cause by its self. I have had a pulley for almost the entire 65k on my car and still have the original clutch.
Clutch problem could be caused by many things, but not just the pulley.

 

I had the same problem.. It was hard to put my car in first for a while, then one day i couldn't at all. I worried that it was a clutch/flywheel problem too, but after some thought i decided it was something to do with my hydraulic lines. It ended up just being a leaky slave cylinder, which i replaced for less than $50.

best of luck with your problem

-Travis

 

the pulley didn't cause your clutch to fail. Most MINI's still have the stock clutch and work just fine. Check to make sure your slave cylinder is ok.

 

Kaneguy, i did the check you refered me to, and it seems to work just fine, the car begins to roll when releasing the pedal about half way up. I will look into the slave cylinder as a few of you suggested. If there is a post somewhere of where this "slave" cylinder is or a step by step on how to replace it, please point me in that direction. You all have been extremely helpful-thanks a bunch. you guys rock! i will let you know the outcome.